Our PeopleAlumni Edition July-September 2016

What’s InsideIn Our Firm

14th MAP International CEO Conference

Business World Economic Forum

2016 Citi Corporate Social Responsibility

2016 AVCJ Philippines

2016 Filipina CEO Circle InSpired Forum

KPMG RGM&Co. appoints new partners and principal

KPMG Alumnus John Paul C. Pagulayan

1 Our People July - September 2016

In Our Firm

The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) held its 14th MAP International CEO conference in partnership with BusinessWorld at Rizal Ballroom, Makati Shangri-La on 6 September 2016 with KPMG RGM&Co. as its Conference Partner.

With the theme The Rise of the Global ASEAN: The Next Generation Leaders, the 2016 MAP International CEO Conference became a venue where global ASEAN leaders told their stories and shared their journeys to inspire those who aspire for the bigger world stage, thereby transforming the business landscape. KPMG ASPAC Management Consulting Principal Bob Hayward was one of the speakers during the conference who discussed his topic on digital disruption and explained how and why technology innovations are changing business models globally. KPMG RGM&Co. Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer Emmanuel P. Bonoan also moderated a KPMG-sponsored session with Baba Rafi Enterprise President and Director Hendy Setiono as the speaker who shared his insights on how to become a successful entrepreneur. In addition, KPMG RGM&Co. also set up a conference booth which featured the KPMG Quick Consult where event participants received free advice from the Firm’s Audit, Tax and Advisory professionals on inquiries regarding their companies or businesses.

Other KPMG RGM&Co. partners in attendance during this year’s event were KPMG RGM&Co. Chairman and CEO Roberto G. Manabat, CFO Pacifico M. Castaneda, Vice Chairman and Head of Audit Sharon G. Dayoan, Risk Management Partner and Head of Department of Professional Practice Ma. Gracia C. Diaz, Audit Partner Emerald Anne C. Bagnes, Head of Tax Ma. Carmela M. Peralta, Tax Partners Maria Myla S. Maralit, Leandro Ben M. Robediso and Karen Jane S. Vergara-Manese, Advisory Partners Michael H. Guarin and Jefree Mae M. Tapia, Advisory Principal Cynthia C. Hernandez, Audit Partner Vanessa P. Macamos, together with other industry leaders and delegates from India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Macau, Sri Lanka and Qatar.

14th MAP International CEO Conference

On 12 July 2016, KPMG RGM&Co. participated as a Bronze Sponsor during the first ever Business World Economic Forum at Shangri-La Fort with the theme Charting Progress to 2020. The forum brings together the “who’s who” in various industries to talk about the country’s present and projected economic landscape until the year 2020, with keynote speakers such as Manny V. Pangilinan, Republic of the Philippines Vice President Leni G. Robredo and Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez. Other notable guest speakers from different sectors also discussed crucial topics on succession, sustainability, integration, disruption and capacity.

In attendance during the forum were industry leaders, CEOs, CMOs, presidents, managing directors, consultants, general managers, corporate planning executives, sales and marketing executives, and financial executives.

The event provided insights and strategies on the country’s economic prospects from various industries, laid out the new administration’s vision of the economy in the next six years and provided a venue where key figures from the private and government sectors can interact to speak about relevant business and economic issues.

Business World Economic Forum

2 Our People July - September 2016

In Our Firm

2016 Citi Corporate Social ResponsibilityOn 9 September 2016, KPMG RGM&Co. partnered with MyShelter Foundation, Inc. to support the Liter of Light project. The Firm was able to provide 100 solar study lamps to students from Helping Land in Tondo, Manila.

Founded by Illac Diaz, Liter of Light is a global grassroots movement committed to providing affordable, sustainable solar light to people with limited or no access to electricity. Through a network of partnerships around the world, Liter of Light volunteers teach marginalized communities how to use recycled plastic bottles and locally sourced materials to illuminate their homes, businesses and streets.

In attendance during this activity were volunteer professionals, Audit Partners Nini M. Balde and Dennis I. Ilan, Tax Partner Maria Myla S. Maralit and Tax Principal Manuel P. Salvador who shared their time and efforts in creating the lamps for the children.

3 Our People July - September 2016

In Our Firm

4 Our People July - September 2016

In Our Firm

KPMG RGM&Co. sponsored the Asian Venture Capital Journal’s (AVCJ) 2nd Annual Private Equity and Venture Forum on 14 September 2016 at Fairmont Makati Hotel, Manila. The forum was opened by a keynote address by one of the leading ASIAN economists and Managing Director for Economic and Currency Research DBS Bank, David Carbon followed by an insightful panel session on the progress for private investment in Philippines as well as a robust discussion on the state of the capital markets. KPMG RGM&Co. Advisory Partner Michael H. Guarin also joined the session on examining the opportunities for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and shared his insights on cross-border deals. It also featured analysis on the infrastructure potential in the country, how to navigate the consumer growth story and the interactive session on how private equity and venture capital add value to their portfolio companies.

2016 AVCJ Philippines

2016 Filipina CEO Circle InSpired Forum

KPMG RGM&Co. joined the Filipina CEO Circle’s (FCC) first ever forum as a Platinum Sponsor at Shangri-La Fort, Taguig City on 15 September 2016 with the theme InSpired Conversations: From the Now Gen to the Next Gen. The event’s participants were top level managers, middle managers, entrepreneurs, and businessmen and women.

KPMG RGM&Co. Vice Chairman and Head of Audit Sharon Dayoan is one of FCC’s founding members who moderated and led a track session with the goal of inspiring the attendees and igniting conversations on topics that are important but often disregarded. In a separate interview, she also noted that, “Of the top 1,000 [companies], we contacted 770 and only 68 are led by women. Clearly there is a need for more. This was a disturbing statistic that drove us to pursue our advocacy for the advancement of women.”

5 Our People July - September 2016

PPC Corner

KPMG KPMG RGM&Co. announces the admission to the partnership of Ms. Vanessa P. Macamos as an Audit Partner, Ms. Karen Jane S. Vergara-Manese and Mr. Leandro Ben M. Robediso as Tax Partners, Ms. Cynthia C. Hernandez as an Advisory Principal and Ms. Jeffree Mae M. Tapia as an Advisory Partner, effective 1 October 2016.

“To adapt to the evolving market, we have admitted five new partners into the partnership who are ready to make the extraordinary happen across all our functional areas of Audit, Tax and Advisory. This insightful and diverse group of professionals brings even more

strength to KPMG RGM&Co. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with our clients, they anticipate the ever-changing business landscape and find innovative solutions that deliver real results,” said Roberto Manabat, Chairman and CEO of KPMG RGM&Co.

Vanessa P. Macamos started her career at KPMG in the Philippines in December 2002. She progressed in her audit career handling clients from the financial services, retail and manufacturing, real estate and others. In June 2008, she joined KPMG in the Caribbean. During her six-year stint outside the Philippines, Vanessa became more experienced in handling clients from the financial services industry, specifically banking, insurance and pensions. She then rejoined KPMG RGM&Co. in December 2014, handling the statutory audits of various entities across the globe and other KPMG global accounts. She has also led trainings on topics around shared service centers (SSCs) and project management training.

Karen Jane S. Vergara-Manese has more than 13 years of experience in the tax practice, concentrating on Global Mobility Services (GMS). She is responsible for reviewing tax equalization and international assignment policies to determine income tax consequences and to identify tax planning opportunities. She is also responsible for delivering tax return and employer withholding compliance, tax and immigration opinion projects and individual expatriate tax consulting. She was instrumental to the exponential growth of the GMS practice in KPMG RGM&Co. The key element to this growth are her 10 years of business relationships which led to the expansion of the set of services offered to various companies in the Philippines.

Leandro Ben M. Robediso is a homegrown tax professional with nearly 12 years of tax practice. LA is currently the Knowledge Manager of the Global Compliance Management Services (GCMS) Line in the Philippines. He has vast experience in GCMS, including IFRS and US GAAP Tax Provisioning (FAS 109 or ASC 740) and FIN48 (ASC 740-10); Philippine Tax Return Preparation Assistance; Mergers and Acquisitions; Tax Compliance Reviews; Indirect Tax Services (e.g. VAT Refund Compliance Review, etc.), and Independent CPA Services Engagements, across different industries. He has also spoken in various technical and non-technical fora organized by various accountancy student organizations, most notable of which are his efforts in launching Syntax – the first Tax Case Competition in the Philippines for top accountancy students.

Ma. Cynthia C. Hernandez has over 18 years of working experience – 10 with the private sector and government entities and 8 years with the transactions and corporate finance practices of audit firms. After joining KPMG RGM&Co. in 2014, she excelled as the team leader for some of its energy and natural resources (ENR) and infrastructure industry engagements and collaborated with KPMG offices from Singapore, Spain and Italy to service major ENR clients. She has experience in providing advisory services in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, valuation and strategy across industries such as energy, utilities, government and infrastructure/PPP, mining, real estate and manufacturing. She has extensive knowledge of the electric power industry, having started her career around the time of the enactment of RA 9136 (Electric Power Industry Restructuring Act, or EPIRA), and has gained perspective from both government and private sector participation in deregulation.

Jeffree Mae M. Tapia has more than seven years of experience in various Advisory service lines such as Internal Audit, Internal Control over Financial Reporting, Sarbanes-Oxley Assistance Services, Regulatory Compliance and Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). Epi is experienced in managing Internal Audit engagements for clients in various industries which includes conducting risk assessment process; development of internal audit plans and testing strategies; directing the overall execution of the engagement; and presenting and communicating the results to the relevant stakeholders. Furthermore, she has assisted several financial institutions and companies in developing and enhancing their Enterprise Risk Management frameworks. Her experience spans from conducting an assessment of an organization’s current risk management process to developing a suitable framework based on its desired state.

KPMG RGM&Co. appoints new partners and principal

6 Our People July - September 2016

In Our Firm

On your work experience at the Firm:

What was your most memorable client experience in the Firm?John Paul: My most memorable experience with the Firm was during my visit to my client when I discovered a fraud. It is something I cannot forget because it really tested my values which I learned while I was with KPMG.

What were your visions, goals and dreams before entering the Firm?John Paul: My vision and goal was to stay long in a company. KPMG served as my training ground since working in the Firm was my first job after graduating from college. I wanted to learn everything that I needed to know in order for me to reach my dream of becoming a CEO someday.

What were the challenges when you started working for the Firm? How did you overcome those challenges? What did you learn from it?John Paul: Since I’ve mentioned earlier that working at the Firm is my first job, I do not have any idea how an office setting would be like, especially on how to communicate with my clients, bosses and colleagues. During my college years, it was very theoretical and since I was about to enter the real world, I needed to learn how to apply all the learnings from school. I remember when I had my first client, my supervisor told me to perform the sales cut-off and I didn’t have any idea on how to do it even if it was taught to me previously. Instead of asking for help from my supervisors or colleagues, I asked my batchmates and did all the work by myself. When I showed it to our manager, she got disappointed so I started from scratch again. What I did to overcome my mistakes was to learn how to ask questions and not be too scared to do so. I also realized that you don’t need to be afraid in committing mistakes because you will learn from them.

How would you describe your working style?John Paul: During my stay in KPMG, I have learned that we work on a merit basis. We have to work really hard in order for us to deliver our tasks and responsibilities effectively. My working style would be, for example, if I were given a task, I make sure that I will do it immediately and give myself allowance for my errors.

What was your most notable moment in the Firm or the accomplishment you are most proud of? John Paul: The most notable moments for me were all the trainings and experiences I have encountered during my stay in the Firm.

What do you miss most about being at the Firm?John Paul: What I missed the most about being in the Firm are the culture and values which I’m still practicing to this day.

How did your work experience at the Firm help you in your career and your succeeding endeavors?John Paul: The knowledge and experiences I gained are the things that helped me while I was working at the Firm and I also learned how to follow processes in order to have quality outputs when it comes to my work.

Which part of your work experience do you think will be most useful for the Firm’s professionals today?John Paul: Work hard and never give up in doing your best in order for you to achieve your goals. Always remember that at some point in time, those who are in high positions now were once on the same level as you are and they were able to reach for their dreams. This applies to everyone especially to the new hires and fresh graduates.

KPMG Alumnus John Paul C. Pagulayan

7 Our People July - September 2016

In Our FirmWhat advice or message can you share with the current and future employees of KPMG RGM&Co.?John Paul: Do not be afraid to commit mistakes. When in doubt, learn how to ask questions and communicate effectively. We should always put in our hearts and in our minds all the values that the Firm is teaching us especially by setting a good example to our colleagues. Lastly, always remember that success won’t happen overnight, you really need to work hard for it, and if you work hard for it, you have to make sure that you should protect your integrity because there will be a lot of temptations along your journey. What is important is that you do your job with integrity so that all your hard work will not be put to waste.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from KPMG Philippines that you can bring with you throughout your career?John Paul: It is more of the values I’ve learned from KPMG. On your other activities:

What are the other things that you’ve been busy with lately?John Paul: My wife and I are a licensed real estate brokers. She is the most committed one to the business but most of the time, when I’m not in the office, I’m always serving in our church and enjoying some quality time with her.

On KPMG RGM&Co.’s Alumni Program:

What are your thoughts about the launch of KPMG RGM&Co. Alumni program?John Paul: I think it is great and it can be very useful.

Are you looking forward to participating in the activities and attending the events of the Firm for its alumni?John Paul: Yes.

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Editorial Page Our People Alumni Edition is a quarterly publication ofKPMG R.G. Manabat & Co. produced by the Markets Group.

Editor-in-Chief: Emmanuel P. Bonoan

Associate Editor: Mariel D. Javier

Managing Editor: Ma. Cristina Isabel R. Loquinario

Writer:Joan T. Lopena

Layout Artist and Photographer:Jestoni I. Panilag

Contributor:People, Performance & Culture Department

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